Paper forms cutter selectively adjustable to cut equal portions of a predetermined length



y 1965 R. N. EICHORN ETAL 8 PAPER FORMS CUTTER SELECTIVELY ADJUSTABLE TO CUT v EQUAL PORTIONS OF A PREDETERMINED LENGTH Filed Dec. 3, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1

INVENTORS. 2 ROBERT N. EICHORN z CHARLES HOLOVKA JR.

AGE/VT M y 1965 R. N. EICHORN ETAL 3,132,540

PAPER FORMS CUTTER SELECTIVELY ADJUSTABLE To CUT EQUAL PORTIONS OF A PREDETERMINED LENGTH Filed Dec. 3, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent PAPER FORMS CUTTER SELECTIVELY ADJUST- ABLE TO CUT EQUAL PORTIQNS OF A PRE- DETERMINED LENGTH Robert N. Eichorn, Endicott, and Charles Holovka, Jan, Binghamton, N.Y., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 241,894 8 Claims. (Cl. 83-346) This invention relates to a paper forms cutter and more particularly to a selective multiple score cutter which is adjustable to cut forms of varying lengths.

It is common practice in the paper forms industry to mount a number of knives in a cylindrical holder for cutting paper against a cylindrical hardened steel platen. In order to change the length of the form to be cut, it has been necessary to either remove or shift the knives on the cylindrical holder or completely replace the holder with another one having the desired spacing of knives. Such set-up operations resulted in unduly long interruptions between continuous cutting operations. Also, removal of the knives resulted in knives being misplaced and lost and also in knives being rendered useless due to being banged around and nicked.

In overcoming the above objections, the present invention provides an improved and more efficient cutter device which makes use of a cylindrical holder having a plurality of fixed knives and a cylindrical platen having raised portions for coaction with the fixed knives. Means are provided for rendering the platen selectively adjustable in dial-a-matic fashion whereby selected raised portions of the platen may be brought into cooperative relationship with the fixed knives to vary the cut-off length of the forms to be cut. This improved arrangement reduces the amount of set-up time required to change cutoff lengths and eliminates the need for removing or shifting the individual knives thereby increasing the useful life of the knives.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved forms cutter device which may be rapidly and etficiently adjusted to change the cut-off length of forms to be out.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved forms cutter device having fixed cutter knives cooperating with a relieved platen which is selectively adjustable to provide selective cut-off lengths.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a paper forms cutter device embodying the principles of our invention.

FIG. 2 is a frontelevation view of the device of FIG. 1 showing the mechanism for selectively adjusting the platen roll.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a continuous paper forms cutter-sorter embodying the device of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cutter device comprises a cylindrical cutting roll 19 and a mating relieved platen roll 11 fastened on their related shafts 12 and 13 which are suitably journaled in a pair of fixed side plates 14. The cutter and platen rolls are rotated by suitable drive means, such as the motor M and belt arrangement B shown in FIG. 3, coupled with the mating gears 15 and 16 fastened respectively to the shafts 12' and 13.

As shown, the cutter roll it) has a plurality of cutting knives 17 disposed around its peripheral surface. The knives 17 extend throughout the length of the roll and are suitably fastened in related grooves 18 in the surface of the roll by clamping members 19 and screw fasteners 20. In the particular arrangement shown for illustrative purposes, standard 12 /2 inch long continuous paper forms which include a V; inch medial strip between forms may be cut into forms having lengths of 3, 4, 6 or 12 inches by locating the fixed knife positions around the roll 10 with the necessary spacing between the knives to provide these cut-off lengths. In FIG. 1, the knives are shown marked 3, 4, 6 and 12 inches to represent the cut-off lengths, there being three knives marked 3", two knives marked 4", one knife marked 6" and the two adjacent knives shown at the bottom of roll 10 which are marked 12, 3, 4 and 6". The two adjacent knives with all four markings are used to cut the medial strip in all four settings of the cutter device.

The platen roll 11 is provided with relieved areas 21 and raised areas 22 disposed around its peripheral surface. The raised areas 22 are arranged for coaction with the knives 17 to cut the continuous form 23 fed between the rolls in the direction shown in FIG. 1 and accordingly, there are three raised areas marked 3", two raised areas marked 4", one raised area marked 6" and one long raised area marked 6, 4, 3 and 12" which coacts with the medial strip cutting knives in all four settings of the device. The knives 17 will cut through the form 23 when the raised areas 22 of the platen are supporting the form under the knives and the knives will not cut the form when they are over the platen relief areas 21.

As was previously mentioned, a feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the platen roll 11 is selectively adjustable in dial-a-matic fashion whereby selected raised areas 22 of the platen may be brought into cooperative relationship with the fixed knives 17 to vary the cut-off length of the forms to be cut. To adjust the platen roll, a pointer knob 24 is fastened on the end of the platen shaft 13, as shown in FIG. 2, and opposite the pointer knob is a stationary dial member 25 which may be an integral portion of the fixed side plate 14. The dial member is provided with four graduated marks representing the 12, 3, 4 and 6" cut-off lengths, as shown in FIG. 1. The platen gear 16 at the other end of shaft 13 has a split-hub portion 26 which is fastened tight to the shaft by means of a screw fastener 27.

In the position shown in FIG. 1, the platen has been adjusted with the pointer knob set at 12 on the dial mem- .ber whereby only the two adjacent knives marked 12, 3,

4 and 6 and the raised area of the platen marked 6, 4, 3 and 12" will coact to cut the form into 12 inch lengths and to cut the one-half inch medial strips. When it is desired to change the cut-off length, the cutter device is stopped and the pointer knob 24 is positioned at the original setting of the run just completed which in the present example is the 12 mark on the dial. This serves to move the platen roll into its correct relationship with the cutter roll. Then, the platen gear hub 16 is loosened and the pointer knob turned to the new cut-off length which results in the platen shaft and roll also being turned to place the raised areas 22 on the platen in correct relationship with the cutter roll to produce the selected cutoff length. The platen gear hub is then tightened on the platen shaft and the cutter device is ready for operation on the continuous form 23. It will be understood that if, for example, the pointer is moved to the 4 mark on the dial to select a cut-off length of 4 inches then the platen roll is accordingly adjusted with respect to the cutter roll so that only those knives and raised platen areas marked 4" will coact to cut the form. As mentioned before, the medial strip knives and their related raised platen area coact for all four settings of'the dial. The

. platen is adjusted in similar fashion for the other cut-0E a minimum amount of set-up time required to eifect the change. And since the knives remain fixed and do not have to be of the adjustable type, a wide range of economical knife structures may be used.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic diagram of a continuous paper forms cutter-sorter 28 in which the present improved adjustable cutter device may be advantageously used. The cutter-sorter 28 is used for cutting through continuous multiple ply forms and sorting the cut sheets into individual ply stacks. The continuous multiple ply forms 29 are transported from a folded stack by a suitable belt 30 to a rotary cut otf station 31 which preferably comprises the cutting roll and adjustable platen 11 arrangement described above. From the cut-off station, the cut forms slide down a chute 32 to meet throat blocks 33 mounted on a vertical moving belt 34. The cut medial strip portions of the form fall into a suitable scrap container 35. The cut forms supported by the throat blocks are transported through a plurality of roll stations where deleaving rolls 36 are provided to separate the carbon paper plies and stack them into individual pockets 37. This cutter-sorter provides the industry With a forms handling machine for carrying out complete cutting, deleaving and sorting in one operation and use of the present adjustable cutter device therein to provide forms of varying lengths makes the machine better equipped to meet the modern requirements for handling forms.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cutter device for severing continuous forms into cut forms which comprises:

a rotatable cutter roll for severing a predetermined length form;

cutting means disposed around said cutter roll in positions representing a plurality of predetermined cutoff lengths equal to one-fourth, one-third, one-half and the total of said predetermined length form;

a rotatable relieved platen roll having substantially the same circumference as said cutter roll and having areas disposed for coaction with said cutting means to sever forms fed between said cutter and platen rolls;

said areas being disposed around said platen roll in positions corresponding to said plurality of predetermined cut-01f lengths; and

means for adjusting said platen roll into selected cooperative relationships with said cutter roll whereby said forms may be severed into any one of said predetermined cut-off lengths.

2. A cutter device for severing continuous forms having medial strip portions into cut forms which comprises:

a rotatable cutter roll for severing a predetermined length form;

cutting means disposed around said cutter roll in positions representing a plurality of predetermined form cut-off lengths equal to one-fourth, one-third, onehalf and the total of said predetermined length form and a fixed medial strip cut-otf length;

a rotatable relieved platen roll having substantially the same circumference as said cutter roll and having areas disposed for coaction with said cutting means tonsever forms fed between said cutter and platen ro s;

said areas being disposed around said platen roll in positions corresponding to said plurality of predetermined form cut-ofi lengths and said fixed medial strip cut-ofif length; and

means for adjusting said platen roll into selected cooperative relationships with said cutter roll whereby said continuous forms are severed at the medial strip portions and into cut forms having a selected one of said predetermined form cut-off lengths.

3. A cutter device as defined in claim 2 wherein said fixed medial strip cut-off length is equal to one and greater than the remaining ones of said predetermined form cutoff lengths.

4. A cutter device for severing continuous forms into forms which comprises:

a rotatable cutter roll for severing a predetermined length form;

a plurality of fixed knives disposed around said cutter roll in positions representing a plurality of predetermined cut-off lengths equal to quarter sections, onethird sections, one-half sections and the total of said predetermined length form;

a rotatable platen roll having substantially the same circumference as said cutter roll and having a plurality of raised portions for coaction with said knives to sever forms fed between said cutter and platen rolls;

said raised portions being disposed around said platen roll in positions corresponding to the positions of the fixed knives on said cutter roll; and

means for adjusting said platen to bring selected ones of said raised portions into cooperative relationship with said knives to vary the cut-off length of said forms.

5. A cutter device for severing continuous forms into cut forms which comprises:

a rotatable cutter roll for severing a predetermined length form;

a plurality of fixed knives disposed around said cutter roll in positions representing a plurality of predetermined cut-oif lengths equal to quarter sections, onethird sections, one-half sections and the total of said predetermined length form;

a rotatable platen roll having substantially the same circumference as said cutter roll and having a plurality of raised portions for coaction with said knives to sever forms fed between said cutter and platen rolls;

said raised portions being disposed around said platen roll in positions corresponding to the positions of the fixed knives on said cutter roll; and

means for rotatively adjusting said platen to place certain of said raised portions into selected cooperative relationships with their corresponding knives whereby said forms may be severed into one, two, three or four forms.

6. A cutter device for severing continuous forms having medial strip portions into cut forms which comprises:

a rotatable cutter roll for severing a predetermined length form;

a plurality of fixed knives disposed around said cutter roll in positions representing a plurality of predetermined form cut-off lengths equal to quarter sections, one-third sections, one-half sections and the total of said predetermined length form and a fixed medial strip cut-off length which is equal to one and greater than the remaining ones of said form cutoff lengths;

a rotatable platen roll having substantially the same circumference as said cutter roll and having a plurality of raised portions for coaction With said knives to sever forms fed between said cutter and platen rolls;

said raised portions being disposed around said platen roll in positions corresponding to said plurality of predetermined form cut-off lengths and said fixed medial strip cut-cit length; and

means for adjusting said platen roll into selected cooperative relationships with said cutter roll whereby said continuous forms are severed at the medial strip portions and into out forms between said medial strip portions which have a selected one of said predetermined form cut-off lengths.

In a cutter device for severing continuous forms having a predetermined length into out forms:

a gear secured on said cutter roll shaft for driving said platen gear to efiect rotation of said platen roll;

a dial member fastened to said platen shaft; and means for rendering said platen gear insecure on said platen shaft whereby said dial member may be adjusted to change said platen roll relative to said cutter roll and bring selected ones of said areas into cooperative relationship with said cutting means to said predetermined length form;

a relieved platen roll having areas disposed on its periphery in positions corresponding to said plurality of predetermined cut-off lengths, which areas are adapted to coact with said cutting means to sever forms fed between said cutter and platen rolls;

a rotatable shaft on which said cutter roll is supported 15 for rotation therewith;

a rotatable shaft on which said platen roll is supported vary the cut-elf length of the forms to be cut. 8. A cutter device as defined in claim 7 and including a stationary member having graduated markings representing said plurality of predetermined cut-off lengths, said stationary member cooperating with said dial member to facilitate selective adjustment to said platen roll.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS for rotation therewith; 1,403,740 1/22 y drive means for rotating said cutter roll shaft and 2,116,391 5/38 cfochoel 83-345 cutter 1.011; 2,588,581 3/52 Sleger 83-345 a gear secured on said platen shaft; ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CUTTER DEVICE FOR SEVERING CONTINUOUS FORMS INTO CUT FORMS WHICH COMPRISES: A ROTATABLE CUTTER ROLL FOR SEVERING A PREDTERMINED LENGTH FORM; CUTTING MEANS DISPOSED AROUND SAID CUTTER ROLL IN POSITIONS REPRESENTING A PLURALITY OF PREDETERMINED CUTOFF LENGTHS EQUAL TO ONE-FOURTH, ONE-THIRD, ONE-HALF AND THE TOTAL OF SAID PREDETERMINED LENGTH FORM 